The shape of the 2016 Democratic primary

1/9/13 11:43 AM EST

The headlines today suggest a 2016 Democratic primary that would be fought on very different cultural terrain than in the past.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to propose one of the country’s most restrictive bans on assault weapons in his State of the State address Wednesday. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, an opponent of capital punishment, might get behind a death penalty repeal effort. Both led recent efforts to pass gay marriage legislation in their states.

As two of the top 2016 Democratic prospects, their forward positioning on issues long thought to be politically radioactive are a sign that some traditional assumptions about where a Democratic nominee needs to stand to win a national election are about to be challenged. After all, we're talking about two of three issues that make up the three G's -- gays, guns and God -- the unholy trinity of wedge issues.

The vague or middle-of-the-road positioning on gun control, gay marriage and the death penalty that marked the 2008 primary between Barack Obama and Clinton now looks to be a vestige of an outdated era – as evidenced by recent gay marriage recalibrations by Clinton and Joe Biden, two other potential 2016 candidates.